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ADDRESS 



HON. DAVID WALKER, 

OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, 



HISTORY AND RESOURCES OF THE STATE, 

BY APPOINTMENT OF GOVERNOR GARLAND, 

AT JUDGES' HALL, 

CENTENNIAL GROUNDS, PHILADELPHIA, 
October i6, 1876. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
COLLINS, PRINTER, 705 JAYNE STREET. 

1876. 



ADDRESS 



HON. DAVID WALKER, 



OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, 



HISTORY AND EESOURCES OF THE STATE, 



BY AProiNTMENT OF GOVERNOR GARLAND, 



AT JUDGES' HALL, 



CENTENNIAL GPxOUNDS, PHILADELPHIA, 



October i5, 1876. 




PHILADELPHIA: 
COLLINS, PRINTER, 705 JAYNE STREET. 

1876. 



r,.^ 



ADDRESS. 



It has been deemed b3'the United States Government a fit occasion 
at the close of the Centennial year of American Independence, for the 
States and territories of the nation to assemble near the spot where 
the British Colonies renounced all farther allegiance to the govern- 
ment of Great Britain, and declared themselves a free and indepen- 
dent people ; to celebrate the occasion, and to bring with them, and 
present specimens of their mineral and agricultural wealth, and indi- 
cate their advancement in the arts, sciences, mechanics, and general 
prosperit3\ And it was also deemed proper to invite the civilized 
nations to join us in this celebration, and in this competitive exhibi- 
tion. This invitation has been accepted by thirty-eight indei)endent 
nations, who, through their representatives, have come to join us in 
commemorating the birth-day of the nation ; to mark the power, the 
capacit}', and success of our nation, under a government based upon 
the great principles of civil liberty then announced ; to examine the 
mineral and vegetable products of the earth ; to note the progress 
that we have made in the arts and sciences ; and to measure them by 
an exhibition of their own ; ours, the product of a nation of an hundred 
years' growth ; theirs, of many centures. 

We should pass no judgment upon the comparative merits of any, 
but when we look around upon this vast exhibition, with all its wealth 
of earth, of mind, and of genius, we cannot but feel encouraged by 
the result and impelled to a higher destiny. This very brief refer- 
ence to the occasion and its surroundings must suffice. I come by 
invitation and executive appointment to speak of and for the State 
of Arkansas ; of her early historj^ and inhabitants ; of her climate, 
rivers, mountains, and plains; of her vast forests of timber; her 
mineral and agricultural products; of her undeveloped capacities, 
exhaustless resources, and of her prospective future. 

First Inhabitants of Arkansas. 

Of the first inhabitants of the country we know nothing further 
than that, at its earliest exploration by a civilized people, it was in- 



habited by uncivilized Indians. They were here when Hernando De 
Soto (a Spaniard), in the month of Ma^^, 1541, ci'ossed the Missis- 
sippi River at the lower Chickasaw Bluffs. After crossing, he, with 
liis followers, passed out to the St. Francis, and up that river, and, 
as is asserted by some historians, spent the winter in Iv'ew Madrid, 
near the southern line of the State of Missouri. By others, it is said, 
that he onl}'' spent about forty days there, and explored the country 
west for about two hundred miles, into the northwestern part of 
Arkansas, and from there in a southeastern direction, across the 
Arkansas River, where he wintered ; from thence in an eastern direc- 
tion to the Mississippi River, where he sickened and died. One of his 
followers, Louis De Moscoso, succeeded him in command, and con- 
tinued his excursion through the southern part of Arkansas into 
Texas. But if we are to give credit to an account of De Soto's expedi- 
tion into Arkansas, published b}^ B. F. French in his historical recollec- 
tions of Louisiana, and more particularly of a map which accompanied 
it, and which designates the route travelled by De Soto, it would 
seem that, after crossing the Mississippi River, and passing up the 
St. Francis, De Soto returned, and crossed the Arkansas River near 
its mouth, and continued to explore the country southwest of the 
Arkansas River to the Ouachita River, and probably some distance 
bej'ond it. But, be this as it may, the travel of De Soto over the 
territory of Arkansas is of but little importance, since he has left 
nowhere any evidences of civilized travel or occupation within the 
limits of the State. It was more than one hundred and forty years 
after De Soto's death, before any expedition, either to explore or 
settle the country, was made. 

In 1613, Monsieur Talon, the French Governor of Canada, sent 
Marquette and Joliet to explore the Mississippi River and find its 
mouth. They proceeded do^vn the Mississi[)pi to the mouth of the 
Arkansas River, and without exploring the country, or attempting its 
settlement, returned to Canada. After their return, Robert, Cavalier 
De La Salle, who was commissioned for the same purpose, explored 
the Mississippi River to its mouth, and in the month of April, 1G82, 
took formal possession of the great valley of the Mississippi, in the 
name of the French government. Soon after this, French settle- 
ments were formed in tlie territory of Illinois, Missouri, and one 
within tlie present limits of Arkansas, which was made in 1GS5, by 
some eight or ten Canadian French who, upon the return of De Tonti 
from an unsuccessful effort to find La Salle, left these Canadians a 
short distance up the Arkansas, at a point called the Post of Arkansas. 
The first location of this post is supposed by some to have been 



about three leagues below the point long known as the Post of Ar- 
kansas. Mr. Robert W. Trimble, who has been collecting materials 
for a history of Arkansas (and to whom I am under manj' obligations 
for valuable information in preparing this address), claims to have 
evidence that the first location of the post was on the south side of 
the river, and from his learning and research I cannot doubt that 
he has documentary evidence to sustain him in the assertion. 

In July, 1687, a few of the survivors of the ill-fated La Salle, in 
his second expedition, ascended the Mississippi to the mouth of the 
Arkansas River, and joined their countrymen. On the 14th of Sep- 
tember, 1712, letters patent were granted by the French government 
to Monsieur Cozort, conferring upon him exclusive control of Louisiana 
in its commercial and military relations, which command he soon 
after relinquished, and like privileges were granted to a company, at 
the head of which was John Law, to Avhom was granted thirt^^-six 
miles square of the territor}- on the north side of the Arkansas River, 
including the Post of Arkansas, upon which, in 1721, a settlement of 
about two hundred and fifty immigrants was made. Subsequently, 
there was another post established at the mouth of the St. Francis River, 
by the direction of De Bienville, then Governor of Louisiana. This 
post was held by a strong force for a short time and then abandoned, 
leaving the Post of Arkansas the earliest and only settlement within 
the limits of the territory. In 1763, Louisiana was ceded by France 
to Spain, who established scA^eral military posts, one of which was on 
the Ouachita River-; another on the Arkansas River near Webber's 
Falls. That government made several large grants of land extending 
from near the Post of Arkansas, in a northwest direction, to White 
River and beyond it, and including nearly all the territory between 
White River and the Arkansas west and within the limits of the 
State. The title to this vast tract of country has long been the sub- 
ject of litigation, and 3'et remains undetermined. 

Spain, in 1800, retroceded Louisiana to France; and, in 1803, the 
government of France ceded it to the United States for the con- 
sideration of fifteen million of dollars. This vast acquisition of 
territory embraced all of the territory west of the present boundary 
of Louisiana to the Rio del Norte, as well as what is now the States 
of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakota, Ne- 
braska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, 
Washington, Oregon, and a part of California. 



Indians. 

The Indians, about wliom so little is linown, were occupants of 
thie country at its earliest discovery. Tiie remains of mounds and 
ditclies, probably made for defence, are found in various localities, 
and around them are parts of vessels made of clay, and others of 
stone, witli axes, hammers, and arrowheads, all simple and of inge- 
nious structure, but nothing to indicate that they were the work of 
a civilized people. At the time the United States government 
acquired title to this territory, the Osages, a numerous tribe of In- 
dians, laid claim to the country from the Arkansas to the Missouri 
River. A band of Osages, known as the Little Osage tribe, occupied 
the countr}^ from the Post of Arkansas up the river, and for a con- 
siderable distance north of it. In 1808 a treaty was made with 
these Indians, by wiiich they surrendered their country within the 
limits of Arkansas, and removed west of the present western State 
boundary. 

The Quapaws, another numerous tribe of Indians, occupied a 
countr^^ south of the Arkansas Kiver, commencing at a point some 
forty miles above the Post of Arkansas ; thence up the Arkansas 
River to the city of Little Rock ; thence south and east to the south- 
west corner of Drew Count3^ This territory was acquired of thera 
by treaty of 1824, and they were removed west of the State, on 
Red River, and settled with the Caddo Indians. 

As early as 1806 a portion of the Cherokee Indians settled above 
Point Remove on the Arkansas River, and by treaty of July IT, 
1817, acquired title to all of the country west of a line from the 
mouth of Point Remove on the Arkansas to a point on White River, 
about three miles above Batesville ; thence up White River to a point 
where l)u Buque is now located ; thence west of south to the mouth 
of Frog Bayou. To this country a large number of Cherokees were 
transported from their country east of the Mississippi River; in 
addition to which detached bands of Shawnee and Delaware Indians 
occupied villages above the mouth of the Buffalo fork of White 
River, one of which is where Yellville, the county seat of Marion 
County, is located. 

By treaty of 1828 the Cherokees exchanged the territory occupied by 
them between AVhite River and the Arkansas, for that west of the pre- 
sent State line, to which they were removed, and where they yet reside. 
This country embraces the whole of Lovely County, wdiich was by 
force of a treaty abolished, and the citizens of the county removed 
east of the western boundary of the State. They were indemnified 



from loss by reason of such removal b}^ a grant of three hundred 
and twenty acres of land to the head of each family, to be located 
within the limits of the State. 

The Earliest Civil Government of Arkansas. 

In 1804 James B. Maney was appointed Civil Governor of Arkansas, 
and resided at the Post of Arkansas. lie was succeeded in command 
b}' Stephen Warrel, and he by Robert AV. Osborn, who administered 
the government until the territory of Missouri was established in 
1812, after which time Arkansas formed a part of Missouri territoiy, 
and tlie civil government of that territory extended over it. 

By an Act of Congress, approved June, 1814, C. Jouette was ap- 
pointed Judge for Missouri territory, to preside in the district of 
Arkansas. But little is known of him further than that, in 1816, he 
resided at the Post of Arkansas, and presided in a court held at that 
place, as appears from the early records of the county of Arkansas ; 
and, after the organization of the territorial government, was appointed 
one of its judges. 

What the population of the territory of Arkansas was in 1812 we 
have no means of knowing, probably not exceeding two thousand. 
In 1810, two years before, the white population of the territory was 
only nine hundred and twenty-two ; the negroes one hundred and 
thirty-eight, total population one thousand and sixty; eight hundred 
and seventy-two of whom resided at the Post of Arkansas, the residue 
on the St. Francis. 

Territorial Government. 

By an act of Congress, approved March 2d, 1819, the territory of 
Arkansas was formed out of the territory west of the Mississippi 
River, and between Louisiana and Missouri, extending west about 
five hundred miles beyond the i)resent State boundary. In 1824, the 
western boundary was reduced to within forty miles of the present 
western State line. A territorial government was inaugurated by the 
appointment of James Miller, Governor; Robert Crittenden, Secre- 
tary; and C. Jouette, Robert P. Letcher, and Andrew Scott, Judges. 

The first General Assembly was held on the 11th of February, 1820, 
at the Post of Arkansas. At the first election, James Woodson Bates 
was elected delegate to Congress. At the time the territory was 
organized there were but five counties within the territorial limits of 
Arkansas — Lawrence, Arkansas, Pulaski, Clark, and Hempstead — 
with an aggregate population of twelve thousand and seventy-three. 
The seat of the territorial government was removed from the Post of 



8 

Arkansas to Little Rock, in 1821. James Miller was Governor from 
1819 to KS25; George Izard, from 1825 to 1829; John Pope, from 
1829 to 1835; and William S. Fulton, from 1835 to 18oG, at which 
time Arkansas was admitted into the Union as a State. 

The counties of Miller and Crawford, as originally bounded, em- 
braced nearly all of what is now the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee 
country. In 182T, a county called Lovely was formed out of that 
part of Crawford which lay north of the Arkansas River, and west of 
a line known as Brown's line, which extended from the mouth of Frog 
Bayou, north, to the southern boundary line of Missouri. In 1836, 
when the State government was formed, the population consisted of 
fifty -three thousand nine hundred and five white, and fifteen thousand 
four hundred and forty-four negroes, or a total population of sixty- 
nine thousand three hundred and forty-nine. The total value of tax- 
able property was fifteen million five hundred and sixty-four thousand 
two hundred and eighty-four dollars. 

The territorial legislature, at its session of October, 1835, passed 
an act to elect delegates to a constitutional convention, which met at 
the city of Little Rock on the 4th of January, 1836 — of which John 
Wilson was president — and framed a constitution. This was sub- 
mitted to Congress, and on the 15th of June of that year the State 
was, b}' Congress, formally admitted into the Union. At tlie time of 
its admission, there were thirty-one organized counties, including 
Miller County, a part of which, upon resurvey of the line between 
Texas and Arkansas, was found to be within the proper limits of 
Texas, and its organization as a county abandoned. 

State Government. 

The State government of Arkansas was inaugurated under the 
Constitution of 1836, b}^ the election of James S. Conway, Governor; 
Robert Watkins, Secretary; Elias N. Conway, Auditor; William E. 
WoodruflT, Treasurer; and of Daniel Ringo, Townsend Dickinson, and 
Thomas J. Lacy, Judges of the Supreme Court. The legislature was 
organized by the election of John Wilson President of the Senate, and 
Charles Caldwell Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

At this time, a general system of credit and specidation prevailed; 
all of the banks in the soutliern and western States, including Ar- 
kansas, wliich had established two banks upon capital based upon the 
credit of the State, soon after suspended pa^Mnent ; their paper was 
no longer a standard of value in trade, nor receivable in the payment 
of debts. A general bankruptcy followed, which arrested the growth 
and prosperity of the State for more than ten years, and from the 



9 

effects of which it had but fairly recovered in 1800, when a dismem- 
berment of the States was so seriously threatened, that, early in 1801, 
a State convention was called to consider the part Arkansas should 
take in the proposed dismemberment. It was the wish of a majority 
of her people, as expressed by the convention, to adjust tlie matters 
of difference between the States, and perpetuate their union with the 
national government. All propositions for secession were voted 
down, and provision made for holding council with such of the slave- 
holding States as had not passed ordinances of secession. Commis- 
sioners were appointed to hold council with them : and the convention 
adjourned for a time to await events, and reassemble when deemed 
expedient. 

The bombardment of Sumter, and the call of the President for 
troops to suppress rebellion, were considered, in fact, the commence- 
ment of civil war, and that all efforts looking to reconciliation must 
fail. The convention was called together, and, on the 6th of May, 
18GI, with but one dissenting vote, passed an ordinauce of secession, 
by which she assumed to sever herconnection with the United States 
government, and to unite her fortunes with her sister States of the 
South. The circumstances which induced this act, and tlie conse- 
quences which followed it, have their appropriate places in a nation's 
history, and need no reference in this connection. Their effects upon 
the State were disastrous in the extreme. The whole country was 
laid waste by the armies of invasion and defence, and subsistence con- 
sumed or destro3'ed. 

In 18G5, and before the close of the war, a State government had 
been inaugurated within the military camps of the national army, by a 
small number of the State's citizens. This was in existence, and being 
administered, when, at the close of the war, many citizens who had 
left the State returned without money, and almost without the means 
of subsistence ; the labor sj'stem changed, and a new citizenship con- 
ferred on the emancipated slaves. Soon after, the government was 
superseded, in effect, by military supervision, under congressional 
laws of reconstruction. Under this rule, in 1868, a new constitution 
was framed and laws enacted, which denied to a large number of 
citizens the right to vote, hold office, or sit upon juries, and of attor- 
neys to practise law in the courts. Under this proscriptive sj-stem 
of government, peace and prosperit}^ could not follow; but afterwards, 
in 1874, when these disabilities were removed, and the right of suffrage 
and to hold office conferred without discrimination, peace, good 
government, and unprecedented prosperity followed. 



10 

Tn 1850, the entire population was two liundred and nine tliousand, 
eight iumdred and ninety-seven ; in 18G0, four hundred and thirty-five 
tliousand, four hundred and fifty; in 1870, four hundred and eighty- 
seven thousand four hundred and seventy-one; showing an increase of 
only fifty-tw^o thousand, in ten years — five of which was a ijeriod of 
revolution — when in a little more than five years after, as estimated 
by the vote of the last election, the population now exceeds six hun- 
dred thousand, with a corresponding increase of wealth. 

Early Settlers of the Territory. 

The first settlers of Arkansas territory were French who settled 
near the Post of Arkansas. They were an enterprising and energetic 
people, mostly engaged in trade. Many of them accumulated fortunes, 
and their descendants now form an estimable class of society. The 
next in order were pioneer settlers of Tennessee and Kentucky, or 
their immediate descendants, a brave, self-reliant, and independent 
people, many of them too fond of adventure and the chase to make 
permanent locations or valuable improvements. 

I was with them in early territorial times ; made the acquaintance 
of many of them, and learned their habits, customs, and peculiar 
characteristics. They had penetrated the country be3'ond and in 
advance of organized government, or, if wuthin it, were too far from 
the officers of the law and of the courts, to be readied by legal pro- 
cess. Thus situated, but resolutely determined to suppress crime, 
and preserve good order, by common consent they had rules of 
government under which crime was summarilj' punished, and contracts 
enforced. The payment of a debt was a matter of honor; and to 
their credit be it said, there were but few instances in which contracts 
were violated. No one felt absolved from his obligation to pay, who 
had money or property, or could procure it. 

There is another matter of pioneer history worthy of note, which is, 
that whatever acts of crime and violence may have been committed, 
such as are but too common among an uncultivated, bold, and self- 
reliant people, the}'^ were almost invariably open, defiant, and under 
the influence of passion and resentment, resulting from real or sup- 
posed wrong. There is not an instance of assassination, of robbery, 
or of burglar}', to be found upon the territorial records. 

The early settlements were often miles apart, and, when necessity 
requii-ed, the cabin doors were temporarily closed with a latch or a 
pin, and the household eflfects of the family were left for days, and 
even weeks, without molestation. Jn the summer months, when at 
home, they slept with doors and windows open in perfect security. 



11 

A fi-auk, honest, find generous people, hospitable to a fault, and like 
the Scotch Highlanders felt — 

" That <;ni(laiico, and food, and rest, and fire. 
In vain the stranger must never require." 

To-day it is a privilege and a pleasure to greet one of the few sur- 
viving pioneers of territorial times. There were also among them 
gentlemen of the learned professions, merchants, and traders, some 
of whom were educated and of refined mamiers ; all of them hospitable 
and social. 

Climate. 

Arkansas is situated in the valley west of the Mississippi River, 
between latitude north 33° and 3G° 30', and longitude west 89^ 40' 
and 9-4° 42', and has a climate so mild that its streams in winter are 
not closed by ice, and in which the laborer may, without shelter, ply 
his toil throughout the entire year. It is confessedh^ tlie most agree- 
able latitude found north of the equator. The mean temperature at 
Little Rock — which is situated at the foot of the mountain range — 
and that south and east of it, is G3° 32' Fahrenheit; that of the 
northern and northwestern portion of the State is al)out 60°. The 
repeated refreshing showers of rain and currents of fresh air, which 
usualh' prevail in the summer months, are liighly conducive to health 
and comfort, more particularly so in the mountain region, where a 
light, fresh atmosphere, bright skies, and diversified scenery of moun- 
tains and plains, invigorate the system and enliven the imagination. 

It is in the southwestern range of mountains, and about sixty 
miles from the city of Little Rock that the celebrated Hot Springs 
rise, fifty-seven in number, and discharge five hundred thousand 
gallons of water daily, witli a temperature from 93° to 150° Fahren- 
heit. In close proximity are cool, fresh water, chalybeate and sul- 
phur springs, all places of resort, and justly held in the highest 
estimation. Certainly nowhere on tliis continent, nor, indeed, else- 
where, can so rich a boon to suffering humanit}- be found. To descrbe 
these springs, and give even an outline of their mineral and curative 
properties, would require more time than could be properly bestowed 
on this occasion. If it were possible for Arkansas to bring to this 
exhibition her hot springs; if they were here to be seen and admired, 
as her agricultural and mineral wealth is, she would stand in this 
respect peerless. The Hot Springs of Arkansas have already be- 
come a place of general resort and of established reputation. Under 
the disadvantages of a long contest of title for this property, a city 



12 

has already grown up, and now, since it has been determined tliat tlie 
title is in the United States, we have presented the anomalous condi- 
tion of the government as landlord, and the late claimants and those 
holding under them, as tenants, at a price for the privilege of occup^^- 
ing tenements which tiiey had erected. Wlien this condition of affairs 
is changed (as it must be), and these springs are set apart b}' the 
government to be used perpetually by the afflicted millions who may 
come, drink, bathe, and be healed, without mone3^ and without price ; 
and when individual title is acquired to the property around it, a city 
inferior to none in the State will in a short time be built. It is in 
this district of country', too, that crystals, hones, and magnets are 
found, specimens of which we have now on exhibition. 

Rivers and Transportation. 

The Mississippi River bounds the entire State on the east ; the St. 
Francis, Black, and White Rivers, with their tributaries, on the north 
and west ; the Arkansas River runs from the northwest to the south- 
east through the entire State ; Saline, Ouachita, and Bartholomew on 
the southeast, and Red River and its tributaries on the southwest. 
These rivers afford facilities for travel and transportation at most 
seasons, and some of them during the entire yeav. In addition to 
these we have railroads extending from east to west, and from north 
to south, through the entire State, from Pine Bluff to the Mississippi 
River, from Helena to White River, and from Malvern to Hot Springs, 
completed and in operation, besides other important routes surveyed 
and under contract for completion. 

Timber. 

Yellow poplar is nowhere found in this State, except on or near 
Croley's Ridge, a narrow tract extending from Helena to the Missouri 
line. Beecli and sugar-maple are not general growths of the State, 
but are occasionallj- found on the creek and river bottoms, and rich 
hill-sides. Oak and hickory of every variet}^, walnut, cherry, and ash, 
, are abundant in all the timbered portions of the State, with cotton wood 
and pecan in the river bottoms, and cypress in large quantities in the 
swamps and margins of the lakes. Pine is not found in large quanti- 
ties north of the Arkansas River vallej', except in a tract of country 
north of Wliite River, and between Rocky Bayou and the Big North 
fork of White River. On the south side of the Arkansas River, it 
grows on most of the uplands, in large quantities and of the finest 
quality. 



13 



Minerals. 

The mineral resources of the State are, as yet, hut partially 
developed, and are most frequently found nortli and west of a line 
from nortliwest to southeast, which separates the older from the allu- 
vial or later formations. Silver, iron, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, 
coal, slate, marble, novaculite, suli)hur, nitre, and salt are found in 
this mountain region. Silver in small quantities with lead, to the 
amount of fifty ounces to the ton, is also found. Lead abounds in 
many localities; the ore is in pockets, often near the surface, and 
occasionalh^ growing in the crevices of limestone above it. JAke the 
lead mines of Missouri, which are in close proximity, no regular veins 
have been discovered. It is believed by geologists and men of science 
that mines of exhaustless wealth ma3M)e discovered by deeper mining. 
Nowhere, so far as I am informed, has the earth been penetrated a 
hundred feet in search of mineral. Iron ore abounds in many locali- 
ties, upon or near the surface, and in exhaustless quantities. Its 
quality has been tested and found good. 

No extensive bodies of coal have as yet been discovered north of 
the Arkansas River valley. Dr. Owen, the State Geologist, estimates 
the coal region in the State at twelve thousand square miles. The 
largest body of coal discovered is that in the vallej'' of the Arkansas 
River, wdiich extends from the eastern boundary of the State, for 
more than a hundred miles east, and outside of the alluvial lands is 
almost an uninterrupted coal field. Coal is most frequently found 
from within six to twenty feet of the surface, and in veins A'arying in 
thickness, from one to six feet. Much of it is of superior quality, 
and in market brings the highest cash price. The Little Rock and 
Fort Smith Railroad, Avhich passes on the north side of the river over 
its entire extent, furnishes, with the Arkansas River, ample facilities 
for its transportation. It is quite probable that, in a few years, a 
poi)ulation equal to the entire State as at present estimated, will find 
profitable employment in mining coal, and in the manufocturing es- 
tablishments near the mines, supplied with cheap fuel from them. 
Marble of superior quality and in exhaustless quantities has been 
discovered in Boone and Newton Counties, a block of which has been 
placed in the Washington monument. 

This vast source of wealth must remain valueless until reached 
by cheap transjjortation. Without further enumeration, it may in 
truth be said, that but few States present a wider, more varied, or 
a richer field for profitable investment in mining than Arkansas. 



14 



Lands. 

The area, of square miles in Arkansas is 52,189, or 33,406, 120 acres. 
Of this amount the United States owns seven million seven hundred 
and sixty-two thousand, which are subject to entry. There have been 
granted by the United States to railroad companies, two million nine 
hundred and twenty-six thousand four hundred acres. But a small 
amount of this, however, has yet been sold and entered for taxation, 
from "which, for manj^ j-ears, it has remained exempt; but which when 
taxed, as it must be, will greatly enhance tlie revenue of the State. 

Of the grants made by the United States to the State of Arkansas, 
there remain seventj'-one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two acres, 
to which the title has been perfected, and which are now subject to 
sale; and one million five hundred thousand, to which the title of the 
State lias not been perfected. In addition to these the State owns 
two million eight hundred and eighty-one thousand eight hundred and 
ninety-six acres of land, wliich have been forfeited for the non-pay- 
ment of taxes, and, if not redeemed b}^ the 14th of December next, 
will be subject to sale or donation. These, with the eighteen million 
of acres of land sold bj- the United States, and at present assessed 
for taxation, with perhaps a small amount of lands homesteaded by 
individuals and not assessed, may be considered as the sum total of 
the lands subject to taxation in tlie State. Of the eighteen million 
which have been assessed for taxation b}- the State, two million one 
hundred thousand acres are imi)roved and in cultivation, and esti- 
mated as worth $55,000,000, with an average productive capacity of 
twenty-five dollars per acre. 

Face of the Country and its Productions. 

The whole extent of country, from tiie Mississippi River west to 
the foot of the mountains (half or more than half of the State), is 
level or gently rolling, and in man}' places affords unmistakable evi- 
dence of comparatively recent formation. In some localities, trees 
at the depth of twentj'^ feet are found imbedded in alluvial deposits. 
In others, and more particularly in the southern part of the State, 
are deposits of submarine shells, upon or near the surface, and now 
partially decayed, and greatly enriching the soil. This whole extent 
of country-, in soil, climate and local position, is well adapted to culti- 
vation, much of it being alluvial and highly productive. Over its 
whole extent, cotton, corn, wheat, oats, and vegetables are produced. 

The great staple product of the State is cotton. In the north- 
western part of the State it is grown for home consumption; in all 



15 

others for transportation. The j'ield per acre is from a half to one 
and a half bales. None of the southern States (Texas excepted) has 
a greater area of good cotton land: none certainly wliich yields more 
to the acre, or lint of finer texture. 

Much of this land has never been opened for cultivation. That all 
of it must soon be cultivated, is as certain as that demand in excess 
of supply invites capital and labor. The States in which cotton is 
grown are comparatively few. No other territory on the continent 
is now open, which will profitabl}^ produce it. Large districts, which 
when first opened for cultivation, produced cotton for market, now 
scarcely raise it for home consumption. It has been long known that 
when the virgin soil becomes worn and exliausted, vegetation is of 
slower growth, and often in a premature state injured or destroj'ed 
by frost. The southern part of Kentucky and of Virginia, and the 
northern part of Tennessee and North Carolina, aflTord striking evi- 
dence of this truth. Where thousands of bales were once exported, 
now there is none raised. The demand has already been greatly 
increased to supply the vast population of the western and north- 
western States, so rapidly' growing in numbers and wealth, and witli 
this increased demand, the enhanced value of the staple will insure a 
more extensive cultivation. 

Corn is extensively grown in all parts of the State. The yield is 
from twenty-five to sixty-five bushels per acre, and is consumed for 
bread and in feeding stock for market. Wheat is grown in many 
parts of the State, but more abundantl}' in the north and northwest, 
and 3'ields from six to thirty-five bushels per acre. Tobacco is more 
profitably grown in the northwest, and produces from eight hundred 
to twelve hundred pounds per acre of good quality. There are but 
four States in which the yield is greater. It is, at present, grown in 
largely increased quantities, and with wheat is estimated as a staple 
product of the country. Oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, and millet are 
profitable products. The cultivation of the grape has been to a 
great extent confined to this district of country. The yield of 
timothy is about one ton per acre; red-top about half a ton. Red 
clover grows luxuriantly, may be twice mowed in the season, and 
makes a good fall pasture. Bene grass grows well on clay, limestone 
soil, and furnishes good pasturage. Experiments made on all the 
clay stiff lands in other parts of the State have proven successful. 
Vegetables of every variet}^ are produced in abundance. 

White River, Little Red River, Arkansas, Petit Jean, Fourche 
La Fave, Saline, Ouachita, and Little Missouri Rivers, all rise in the 
west and flow through the mountain valleys of the western portion of 



16 

the State. Their bottoms are generally wide and fertile, particularly 
those of the Arkansas River. Wide tracts of table lands, prairies, 
barrens, and timber, are from six to twelve miles wide on each side 
of the river. Numerous small streams flow into these rivers, and have 
alluvial bottoms of great fertilit}'. 

In the northwestern counties, there are extensive tracts of prairie 
and timbered upland, based on a clay foundation and highly- produc- 
tive. Springs of cool, never-failing water are found in all the mountain 
regions, and furnish to the creeks and rivers a never-failing supplj^ 
of water in volumes sufficient to propel machinery at all seasons. The 
Ozark Mountains through which these streams pass, and the wide 
prairie valleys between them, are picturesque and attractive. 

The atmosphere is fresh and invigorating ; good health prevails 
everywhere in this region. Here fruits, grain, grass, and vegetables 
attain their higliest perfection. Grapes in great variety are native 
growths of the mountains ; wlien cultivated they mature well, and 
yield a large profit to the cultivator. The peach is an uncertain crop, 
and seems better adapted to the more southern climate. Apples and 
pears mature finely, are extensively raised, and of unsurpassed size 
and flavor. This part of the State may well be called the Switzerland 
of America. An intelligent traveller who spent some weeks in these 
mountains, described the valleys between them as the American Vale 
of Cashmere. It is here that the Arkansas Industrial University is 
located. 

The aggregate amount of our staple crops, per annum, is, of cotton, 
33*7,612 bales, of four hundred pounds to the bale ; of corn, 15,000,000 
bushels; of wheat, 1,000,000 bushels; besides oats, rye, buckwheat, 
hay, fruits, and vegetables. 

Manufactures. 

It is a conceded fact that manufacturing is most profitabl}' con- 
ducted on the spot where the raw material is grown, and where cheap 
fuel for steam power abounds; hence we find Lowell with her vast 
water power ; Pittsburg with her iron ore and coal; Augusta, Georgia, 
in the midst of her cotton fields; Lynchburg surrounded by her to- 
bacco fields; and Lexington by lier hemp growing lands, all largelj^ 
and profitably employed in manufacturing. Arkansas combines these 
advantages; her cotton and coal being found in the same district, 
and wheriiver so found, manufacturing may be conducted profitably. 
Spadra and other points on the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad, 
in the coal district, present these advantages. 

The rivers which flow from the mountains of the west and northwest 



17 

afTord facilities for niaiinfacturiiig the forest of mountain timber, 
through which tlie}' pass. In tlie middle and southern portion of the 
State, cheap and speed}^ transportation by railroad and river, concen- 
trate at Little l\ock, and point to it as the great manufacturing city 
of the State, more particularly for the manufacture of cotton, near 
which large quantities of it are grown, and to which coal can be easily 
transported. Whatever the reasons, heretofore, for withholding capital 
for this purpose may have been, it is certain that none now exist. 
We have a State government firmly established under a liberal and 
well-devised constitution, one wdiich limits taxation for all purposes 
in any one year to fifteen mills on the dollar; secures to all of its 
citizens the largest liberty consistent with good government; one 
which encourages manufacture ; provides liberally' for education, and 
protects the free exercise of religious worship ; one under which crime 
is suppressed, and civil rights protected. Peace and good order pre- 
vail throughout the State among all classes. The occasional contests 
for party supremacy in government, lil^e the lashing of ocean waves, 
do but purify the body politic and keep it healthy. 

Education. 

The Arkansas Industrial University, established in accordance with 
an act of Congress, making a grant of land as an endowment, and in 
accordance with an act of the General Assembly of Arkansas, has 
been located at Fayetteville, in Washington County. It is an edifice 
of brick, five stories high, two hundred and fourteen feet in length, 
with a depth of wings one hundred and twenty-two feet, and in archi- 
tecture and finish is not surpassed b}^ any building in the Western 
States. The grant of lands by Congress; the bonds of Washington 
County and town of Fayetteville, and the appropriations made by 
the State, amount in value to three hundreil and fifty thousand 
dollars. One of the leading objects of Congress in making the grant, 
was, without excluding scientific and classical studies, to impart a 
knowledge of agriculture and the mechanic arts, and to advance the 
education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and profes- 
sions of life. It is a State institution, under the supervision of a 
board of trustees elected by the legislature ; and by legislative enact- 
ment provision is made for the education of two hundred and thirty- 
seven beneficiaries, apportioned among the several counties according 
to population. Under the provisions of the act of Congress, it is 
also required that military tactics be taught. Tiie location is a most 
eligible one; it is largely attended, and in a flourishing condition. 

Judsonia University, located in White County ; St. John's Colleg*; 
2 



18 

and Little Rock Female College, in the city of Little Rock, and Cane 
Hill College at Boonesboro', in Washington Count}', are chartered 
institutions of high reputation, and in a flourishing condition. In 
addition to which there are high schools of education taught in most 
of the counties ; and a general system of free schools is, by legislative 
enactment, sustained at public expense. In 1872, there were two 
thousand three hundred and two teachers, and one hundred and seven 
thousand, nine hundred and eight pupils taught. This is the latest 
estimate at my command. 

Newspapers. 

There are published in Arkansas sixtj^-five newspapers, seven of 
which are issued daily. 

A wider range of discussion might have been indulged, and refer- 
ence made to dates and incidents connected with the State's history, 
but I have preferred to limit my remarks to such incidents as would 
best illustrate the character of its inhabitants, its resources and 
present condition. Such we have seen is the early history of the 
country, territory, and State ; such its geographical position, climate, 
inhabitants, and material wealth — a wealth which remains unimpaired 
through all the vicissitudes of bankruptcy and revolution through 
which she has passed. She has heartily accepted the invitation to 
join in the celebration of the birth-da}^ of American independence ; 
she has drawn freely and largely upon her limited i-esources, to erect 
V)uildings in which are presented specimens of her agricultural and 
mineral wealth, and forests of timber which challenge competition, 
and invite capital and enterprise. They speak more eloquently for 
Arkansas and her prospective future of greatness, than I have been 
enabled to do. Blest as the State is with a good government ; pro- 
tected bylaws of her people's making, administered by officers elected 
by their free suffrage, upon principles of sovereignty announced in 
the Declaration of American Independence, which at the close of a 
century we are here to celebrate, and at the commencement of another, 
I do in their behalf express Avhat I know to be their earnest desire, 
that the great principles of civil liberty, therein enunciated, may be 
perpetuated under a united and prosperous gover>- nent, National 
and State. 



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